Summary

In "Skinship," siblings So-hyun and Ji-ho grew up in Korea. Because their father was irresponsible, they often followed him in the morning to make sure he went to work. So-hyun realizes that they "might have remained in Korea forever" if their mother had not been worried about Ji-ho's future (153). When things were especially bad between their parents, So-hyun's mother would take them to their grandmother's in the middle of the night. Their grandmother would often encourage them to go home. Finally, their mother decided to move to America. They would stay with their mother's sister and her family in Annandale, "a town in Fairfax County, Virginia" (154).

So-hyun remembers one night when her father "came home with something hidden in his hand" for her mother (155). When he was happy, So-hyun felt happy. The gift was a velvet jewelry box with...